Marcello usually avoided bringing me, saying it wasn't worth the stress. But this time his mother, Giovanna, wasn't feeling well. As much as I dreaded it, we had to come.
When we stepped inside, Carlo and Giovanna were smiling, chatting warmly with each other in the sitting room. The second they saw me, their faces turned cold.
My chest tightened. I kept my head lowered, pretending I didn't notice, but Marcello did.
His voice turned sharp. "If you two keep treating Arianna like this, then don't expect us to come back again."
The room went silent until Carlo slammed his hand against the table, making me flinch. The silverware rattled. Two soldiers stationed near the dining room entrance shifted their weight but kept their eyes forward. "Watch your mouth. Are you really saying you'd turn your back on your family for this woman?"
Before I could step away, Marcello caught my hand, threading his fingers through mine, holding me still. "Father, I've said this many times. Arianna is the woman I love. The one person I can't bear to hurt. I won't even raise my voice at her, and yet you give her this coldness every time. Do you know what that does to me?" His grip on my hand tightened. "If this happens again, I won't just walk out of this house. I'll walk away from this family for good."
The Don of the Castellano Family, a man whose name made capos across the city lower their voices, but right then he sounded like a devoted husband willing to burn his whole world for me.
Pathetic. He thought I didn't know about his affair.
The room went quiet after Marcello threw his words out like a knife. He looked like the perfect protective husband, standing there like a shield in front of me. But I didn't feel safe. I just felt… tired.
Giovanna sighed and finally muttered, "Fine. Let's eat first."
At the table, the only noise was the clink of silver against porcelain. Giovanna kept making those little annoyed sounds, and my hand tightened around my fork. I knew it was coming.
Sure enough, she dropped her fork and said, "It's been nine months. Enough grieving. You lost a daughter, fine. But it's time to give us a grandson. You can't just end the Castellano bloodline."